John Stuart Robertson (14 June 1878 – 5 November 1964) was a Canadian born actor and later
film director perhaps best known for his 1920 screen adaptation of ''
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', starring
John Barrymore
John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...
.
Biography
Robertson was born in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
. He broke into filmmaking in 1915 with
Vitagraph
Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...
, then with
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...
, making 57 features in his career. Robertson left film in 1935, amid the increasing prevalence of sound pictures.
He was married to screenwriter
Josephine Lovett. He died in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, aged 86.
The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
song "
Old John Robertson" is about Robertson.
Younger Than Yesterday
ByrdWatcher. Retrieved 3 April 2008....Retrieved Wayback version 15 November 2017(Wayback Machine)
Filmography
*'' The Combat'' (1916) - as actor; costarring Anita Stewart
Anita Stewart (born Anna Marie Stewart; February 7, 1895 – May 4, 1961) was an American actress and film producer of the early silent film era.
Early years
Anita Stewart was born in Brooklyn, New York as Anna Marie Stewart on February 7, 18 ...
* '' The Conflict'' (1916)
*''Her Right to Live
''Her Right to Live'' is a 1917 dramatic silent film released by the Vitagraph Studios.
This film is now lost.
Plot
Polly Biggs (Peggy Hyland) is the eldest of a family of orphaned children who are taken in by their uncle, Mayor Hoadley (John ...
'' (1917) - as actor
*''The Meeting'' (1917)
*''Intrigue'' (1917)
* ''The Money Mill
''The Money Mill'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by John S. Robertson and starring Dorothy Kelly, Evart Overton and Gordon Gray.Slide p.147
Cast
* Dorothy Kelly as Helen Ogden
* Evart Overton as Jack Burton
* Gordon Gray as ...
'' (1917)
*''The Maelstrom
''The Maelstrom'' is a 1917 silent film drama directed by Paul Scardon. It stars Dorothy Kelly, Earle Williams and Julia Swayne Gordon. Thomas Ince produced along with the Vitagraph Company.
Cast
*Dorothy Kelly – Peggy Greye-Stratton
*Earle Wi ...
'' (1917) - as actor
*''A Service of Love'' (1917) short
*'' Baby Mine'' (1917)
* ''The Bottom of the Well
''The Bottom of the Well'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by John S. Robertson and starring Evart Overton, Agnes Ayres and Adele DeGarde.
Cast
* Evart Overton as Stanley Deane
* Agnes Ayres as Alice Buckingham
* Adele DeGarde ...
'' (1917)
*''Vanity and Some Sables'' (1917)
*''The Menace'' (1918)
*''The Girl of Today'' (1918)
*'' The Better Half'' (1918)
*''The Make Believe Wife'' (1918)
*'' Little Miss Hoover'' (1918)
*'' Here Comes the Bride'' (1919)
*'' The Test of Honor'' (1919)
*'' Let's Elope'' (1919)
*'' Come Out of the Kitchen'' (1919)
*'' The Misleading Widow'' (1919)
*'' Sadie Love'' (1919)
*'' Erstwhile Susan'' (1919)
*'' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1920)
*'' A Dark Lantern'' (1920)
*'' Away Goes Prudence'' (1920)
*'' 39 East'' (1920)
*'' Sentimental Tommy'' (1921)
*'' The Magic Cup'' (1921)
*''Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University.
History
Footlights' inaugural ...
'' (1921)
*''Love's Boomerang
''Love's Boomerang'' (also known as ''Perpetua'') is a 1922 British crime film directed by John S. Robertson. Alfred Hitchcock is credited as a title designer. The film is now lost.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, young Perpetua (Fosse) ...
'' (1922)
*'' The Spanish Jade'' (1922)
*'' Tess of the Storm Country'' (1922)
*'' The Bright Shawl'' (1923)
*'' The Fighting Blade'' (1923)
*'' Twenty-One'' (1923)
*'' The Enchanted Cottage'' (1924)
*''Classmates
A classmate is a student who is member of the same class, in any of its meanings (a course, a lesson, a graduating year).
Classmate(s) may also refer to:
* ''Classmates'' (1914 film), a 1914 silent film produced by the Biograph Company
* ''Clas ...
'' (1924)
*'' New Toys'' (1925)
*'' Soul-Fire'' (1925)
*''Shore Leave
Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the ...
'' (1925)
*''Alaskan Adventures'' (1926)
*''Annie Laurie
"Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1682?–1748) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Sco ...
'' (1927)
*'' Captain Salvation'' (1927)
*'' The Road to Romance'' (1927)
*'' The Single Standard'' (1929)
*''Shanghai Lady
''Shanghai Lady'' is a 1929 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John S. Robertson and written by Houston Branch and Winnifred Eaton (writer), Winnifred Reeve. It is based on the 1910 play ''Drifting'' by John Colton (scr ...
'' (1929)
*'' Night Ride'' (1930)
*'' Captain of the Guard'' (1930)
*'' Madonna of the Streets'' (1930)
*'' Beyond Victory'' (1931)
*'' The Phantom of Paris'' (1931)
*'' Little Orphan Annie'' (1932)
*'' One Man's Journey'' (1933)
*'' The Crime Doctor'' (1934)
*'' His Greatest Gamble'' (1934)
*'' Wednesday's Child'' (1934)
*''Grand Old Girl'' (1935)
*''Captain Hurricane'' (1935)
*''Our Little Girl'' (1935)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
John S. Robertson
at Virtual History
1878 births
1964 deaths
Film directors from London, Ontario
Canadian emigrants to the United States
{{Canada-film-director-stub